Raditz has been on this planet for two weeks. Two long, miserable weeks.
Name: Raditz
Age: 34
Power level: 4430
Health: 77/100
Stamina: 79/100
Ki:24/100
Ki density: 1.208 (maximum of 3)
Ki purity: 2.5% (maximum of 2.5%)
Transformations: Great Ape (Uncontrolled)
Techniques: Ki sensing (3), Flight (2), Basic Ki manipulation (4)
Normally, he'd consider himself to be doing pretty well. His power level is steadily increasing, his training is going well, and he's got a steady supply of food and water. This would normally be more than enough for him to be happy, except...
"Dammit! Again?! I just moved here!" a distraught Raditz yells as he exits the tunnel, entering into a burning cave.
His burning cave, specifically.
Well... it wasn't burning when he left to find food. The locals have been very unwelcoming of their new neighbor. Not that he can blame them, of course, but carving new caves gets tiring after a while. Not to mention the constant battles...
Raditz leans his head to the side, avoiding a clawed strike from the greenish-yellow reptile standing behind him. His tail lashes out at the cave destroying lizard-man, sending him flying into the nearest wall of stone. While he waits for his opponent to free himself from the wall he embedded it into, he idly wonders if he should turn the tables, and start hunting them down.
'Maybe they'll leave me alone if they know what it's like...' he shakes his head, banishing these thoughts as his opponent finally frees themselves. They shoot off into a nearby tunnel, no doubt attempting to lead Raditz into an ambush.
'Not falling for that one again...' he thinks with the barest hint of a smile on his face. The first time he found his cave destroyed, he was pissed. It was a bit silly, but part of him was deeply offended. How dare this creature destroy what was his?! He's a Saiyan, dammit! He's shown mercy to these weaklings by allowing them to live. He could've turned into an Oozaru and wiped them from the planet. How dare they take advantage of his weakness?!
He was chasing after the first cave destroyer before he knew it, and had caught it almost immediately. Unfortunately, that seemed to have been the plan from the beginning. The bastard used their Ki to blind Raditz with a move that reminds him of the Solar Flare. Then, a barrage of Ki blasts bombarded him. With his ability to sense Ki, Raditz found that he was surrounded by dozens of the locals. How they got so close without him sensing them earlier, he'll never know, but they took advantage of his blindness to blast the hell out of him.
Unfortunately for them, the pain cleared his head and reminded him that the anger he felt wasn't his, it belonged to whatever is left of the other him. This made him realize that he doesn't have any reason to stay and fight a losing battle. They didn't expect him to run, as proven by him instantly getting away from the encirclement.
And here he is now, being hunted down by enemies he could easily have killed.
Walking away from the destroyed cave, he browses 'his' memories, searching for anything that can help him deal with his new opponents without killing them.
...
Raditz grimaces as he goes through the memories of the many atrocities 'he' committed before landing on Earth. Genocide after genocide flashes through his mind. Together with Nappa and Vegeta, he had claimed many planets for Frieza.
'You were a real bastard, Raditz... but you were one clever bastard.' he thinks glumly. 'Your power level and martial arts skills were pathetic, but your techniques... I can use that.'
While searching, Raditz identifies several Ki techniques that the other him used to make up for his low power level. As opposed to the raw power in Nappa and Vegeta's attacks, Raditz's are far more insidious. He's almost surprised at first, you'd think that 'Saiyan Pride' would prevent him from creating these techniques...
'Then again, he was willing to beg for his life when Kakarot had him by the tail in the original show... I guess Saiyan Pride goes out the window where you're about to die. Since my body has done these techniques before, it shouldn't take me too long to master them again...' he muses to himself, before he begins to carve out yet another cave to live in.
Sorot scowls, desperately hoping that his newest plan will be what saves his people.
Three weeks ago, something crashed on Thrunot, killed Tagan, and has been stalking his people through the tunnels ever since. When he first encountered this... monster, it slaughtered its way through his platoon, got this close to killing him, then fled. Now it hunts down his people, leaving them scarred, scared, and yet alive. Sorot can only assume that it revels in the suffering it inflicts on others, given its tendency to force energy into the tired bodies of those it finds, prolonging whatever sick form of torture it can think up. Sometimes it forces them to attack, to slash with their claws until they break on its skin. Other times, it hits back, slowly but surely whittling their morale and stamina down until they can't fight any longer. The clawless bastard sickens him. It tortured Kzok in front of his hatchling.
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
But no more.
He's been tracking the monster down for the last two weeks, and he was so close to finally killing it last week, but it acted differently from what he expected. He thought that the monster was unintelligent, that its only desire was to cause more fear and suffering. He thought it would mindlessly charge at them, falling directly into his trap. It instead ran away, realizing that it couldn't have possibly won that fight.
It's intelligent, it can think, it can plan... it can make choices. That's what makes it a monster in his eyes. It could've chosen to spare Tagan, to spare the other members of Sorot's platoon. It chose to kill them. It chose to torture his people... and now it will face the consequences of those actions.
49 of the best soldiers Sorot has ever known have joined him in his hunt, in his war against this invader. The old man, fool that he is, refused to come with them. He tried to stop them from leaving, claiming that they can't spare the manpower from the front against the traitors. But despite all his power, all his skill... he's just one man. He can't beat all of them unless he fights to kill, and he'd never be willing to do that.
So here they are, their power levels lowered until they appear to share the same amount of Ki as the air. The monster isn't even bothering to hide its physical trail.
'Is... is this a trap...? Am I leading more troops to their deaths?' he thinks as he looks at the determined faces of those surrounding him. He can sense their resolve. He can sense that each and every one of them are willing to lay their lives down to stop this monster. Sorot feels the same.
He hopes it doesn't come to that.
Baxill, his second in command, nods at him. "They're ready."
He takes one last look at the people around him, before hardening his heart. "Let's do this. Collapse the tunnels."
Name: Raditz
Age: 34
Power level: 4590
Health: 80/100
Stamina: 88/100
Ki:65/100
Ki density: 1.316 (maximum of 3)
Ki purity: 2.5% (maximum of 2.5%)
Transformations: Great Ape (Uncontrolled)
Techniques: Ki sensing (4), Flight (2), Basic Ki manipulation (5), Basic Ki attacks (4)
Raditz stares at the floating ball of purple Ki in front of him, slightly awed as he watches the electricity crackling inside the ball.
'It looks exactly like it did in the other me's memories, but will it still...?' Raditz tentatively reaches a hand out towards the ball of Ki. As soon as it he brushes the tips of his fingers, a sudden jolt knocks him to the ground. The powerful electricity suddenly travels through his Ki veins, locking his muscles in place. Slightly surprised at how instantaneous it is, he relaxes, counting the seconds until it wears off on its own.
'1...'
'2...'
'3...'
He suddenly feels the Ki in his veins rage against the electricity, instantly vaporizing any trace of paralysis.
'Three seconds if I don't resist it... not bad. This could--' his thoughts are suddenly interrupted by several loud explosions from the tunnels leading to his cave.
"What the hell?!" Raditz yelps in surprise as he jumps to his feet, catching a shockingly powerful blast to the chest.
As he crashes into the cold, hard stone behind him, he suddenly senses dozens upon dozens of energies race towards him, energies that he'd estimate to have power levels in the thousands. The largest power level, which he'd estimate to be just over 3000, rushes towards him with their claws extended. He raises his hand to respond to the opponent's charge with one of his new Ki blasts, but his concentration fails him when he gets peppered with Ki blasts. The strongest of the reptiles is upon him before Raditz can do anything, wildly tearing its way through his armor.
Warning: Health at 50%
Panicked, Raditz strikes out at the reptile clawing his armor with a knee strike, lifting its body off the ground with the force of the blow. The reptile turns in midair, kicking off the cave's ceiling to launch itself back at him. Using the limited combat experience he's gained from the past three weeks, Raditz surprises himself by correctly predicting how the reptile will attack him. Dodging the attempted tackle, he throws three punches in quick succession.
One to the ribs, one to the jaw, and the last one to where the creature's nose would be if it was a human. He follows this up with a grapple of his own, swinging the stunned enemy by its legs to knock away the oncoming Ki blasts. As soon as the Ki attacks are swatted out of the air, he releases his hold on the reptile's legs, sending it spiraling towards the largest group of weaker reptiles. With a roar, he launches a wave of Ki out of his hand, impacting another group.
As the dust begins to clear, and his opponents attempt to regroup, Raditz ignores the part of him that wants to kill these creatures, the part that begs him to defend himself.
'I can't win against these enemies without killing them... dammit, I should quit being such a pansy and fight to kill! They're trying to kill me, for God's sake! I'd be completely justified in following my instincts and wiping them out!' he thinks furiously.
"..."
'And yet... I did invade their home planet...'
Raditz stares at them silently... before slowly raising his hands into the air.
A clear sign of surrender.
The reptiles stare at him in shock, momentarily unsure of what to do, before the strongest of them roars something. A battle cry, perhaps?
Eyes suddenly filled with fury, the small army of reptiles mimics their leader's roar as they launch themselves at Raditz. Claws tear through his already weakened armor, teeth rip into his aching flesh, small beams of Ki penetrate his body. Raditz is filled with fear as the threat of death suddenly rears its ugly head. He infuses his flesh with Ki, burning through it at a rapid pace to temporarily fend off the onslaught of deadly attacks.
Warning: Health at 25%
Hardly able to think through the pain, Raditz's eyes dart around the room, trying to find some way, any way to get out of here alive. The entire time, some tiny part of his mind whispers insidious words.
Warning: Ki at 50%
'I should kill them...'
Warning: Stamina at 50%
'They're killing me! They aren't innocent, this is self defense...'
Warning: Ki at 25%
'I can't escape from them... they're too numerous. They planned this too well...'
Warning: Stamina at 25%
'They brought it upon themselves...'
Warning: Ki at 10%
'I've done my best to limit casualties. It's their own fault for attacking me in the first place...'
Warning: Stamina at 10%
'I can't make sure that this Universe follows the DBZ story if I die...'
Warning: Health at 10%
As his Ki shield finally falls, and the attacks reach his flesh once again, the truth slips out of his mouth.
"I don't want to die."
Purple Ki gathers in both of his hands for the briefest second, before he thrusts both of them forward, launching an attack larger than his body. The wave of Ki carves through some of the creatures surrounding him, and the force coming from it blows the rest of them away. Twisting his hands, Raditz forces the blast to curve upwards, cutting a tunnel through the ceiling of the cave. Sunlight flows through the hole Raditz created, right before he launches a glowing white ball of energy up it. By the time the reptiles have reached his battered, half-dead body, it's far too late...
"Burst open and mix!"